Transparency News 6/10/16
Friday, June 10, 2016
State and Local Stories
A Hampton woman has been charged in connection with an election fraud investigation related to the Hampton School Board elections on May 3. Mary Patricia Taylor, 56, was arrested and charged with one count of communicating false information to registered voters, Hampton Police said Thursday. According to a news release, Taylor authored the website annstephenscherry.com. Ann Stephens Cherry ran for and won a seat on the School Board this year and will take office July 1. A Hampton woman has been charged in connection with an election fraud investigation related to the Hampton School Board elections on May 3. As of April 7, the website had the title of “RE-ELECT MARTHA MUGLER“ and said “RE-ELECT MARTHA MUGLER HAMPTON SCHOOL BOARD VOTE MAY 10, 2016.” The website also had a green background, white text and the image of a worm coming out of a rotten apple. Mugler's campaign materials included a green background, white text and a red apple. The election date listed was one week after the actual election. Cherry said she tried to purchase the website a few days after announcing she was running for office in late January, but found the domain was already taken. By then, it was already printed on her campaign materials.
Daily Press
When people go to court over elections, the issues arise out of a complex and generally obscure part of state election law, and the parties almost always need an answer in a hurry – but a group of Williamsburg-based experts have created an online tool to help. The Election Law Program, a joint project of William & Mary Law School and the National Center for State Courts this week launched its “State Election Law eBenchbook” website to help judges find the answers they need to interpret and rule on issues when there’s not a lot of time but plenty of eyes watching. The program is launching the web page aimed at judges in Virginia, Colorado and Florida.
Daily Press
Roanoke County School Board member Tom McCracken abruptly resigned his seat Thursday night to pave the way for a vote to promote his wife to serve as an assistant principal at Northside High School. Board members learned of McCracken’s plans to step down, effective immediately, shortly before he publicly tendered his resignation but expressed shock over the announcement and described the situation as unfortunate. The specific circumstances that prompted McCracken’s announcement, which came following a private board meeting to discuss personnel issues, are unclear but appear related to his position on the board, a staff recommendation to promote Laurie McCracken and a perceived conflict of interest between those two roles.
Roanoke Times
An official Freedom of Information Act officer has been selected by Abingdon Town Council. Town Attorney Deborah Coffey Icenhour will serve as the town’s first official officer handling FOIA requests. Legislation approved during the 2016 General Assembly session requires that cities, counties and towns with populations of more than 250 designate an officer. The state Freedom of Information Act guarantees state citizens and the news media access to public records held by public bodies, officials and employees, although there are exceptions. In addition to the officer, House Bill 818 states that information regarding the responsibilities of the officer, the types of public records maintained by the locality, a list of exemptions and a prescribed statement regarding reasonable charges that can be made of the officer must be posted on the locality’s website.
Herald Courier
Lovettsville Town Council tonight canceled a meeting during which council members and the community were going to discuss the controversial AT&T Facility Commission Permit on Short Hill Mountain after Loudoun County administration decided the meeting was "not an appropriate venue for discussion." "County administration has advised our office that tonight's Town Council meeting would not an appropriate venue for discussions on an application that is under active consideration by the Board of Supervisors and has the potential for future litigation," a senior staff aide to Supervisor Geary Higgins (R-Catoctin), Stacy Carey, said in a statement posted on the Lovettsville Town Council's Facebook site. "Therefore, county staff is not in a position to attend this evening's meeting."
Loudoun Times-Mirror
National Stories
A bill passed unanimously by the House to stop federal agents from reading Americans' old email without a warrant was derailed Thursday in the Senate by proposed changes that could gut its privacy protections. If the bill dies in the Senate, federal agents will continue to operate under a 30-year-old law known as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that allows them to read email at will if the mail is at least six months old. Both liberals and conservatives have decried the law as a violation of Americans' constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
USA Today
